CFA in Action

I f there is anything you would like to submit for inclusion in CFA in Action, please let us know by noon the Friday before each update. Please send your information to [email protected].

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Gearing up for the Annual CFA/FPT Roundtable

Next week CFA will host its annual r oundtable meeting of federal and provincial/ territorial agriculture ministers. The session, set for July 20, offers CFA representatives an unparalleled opportunity to discuss with key decision makers the options for the next agriculture policy framework. Participants will explore proposals that CFA has recommended in its "Positioning Canadian agriculture for continued success" publication. Social licence is another topic on the agenda. Stay tuned for updates following the event.

Climate Change Working Group on Innovation

On July 7th, the CFA attended the Pan-Canadian Framework on Climate Change Working Group on Clean Technology, Innovation and Jobs in Toronto, ON. This WG is one of four WG that were established in March 2016 to develop recommendations to FPT Environment Ministers and First Ministers on specific aspects of climate change policy. This was also the last of the WGs to organize an engagement session where there was opportunity to provide input from different industry sectors. The WG had identified four broad areas that they sought feedback from participants on:

Building early-stage clean technology innovation;
Accelerating commercialization and commercial capacity;
Fostering clean technology adoption; and,
Strengthening collaboration and metrics for success.

It is expected that recommendations will be presented to the Environment Ministers at the end of August, and final recommendations for decision will be made at a First Ministers meeting in October 2016. For more information, please contact

Drew Black.

National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) Biannual Meeting

CFA 1st VP Humphrey Banack participated in the June 28-29 NFACC meeting on behalf of CFA and presented to NFACC regarding the ongoing Journey to Public Trust process. NFACC also presented new videos that have been developed and posted to YouTube that help to explain the mandate of the organization as well as key features of the codes of practice. See the videos here.

A key area of discussion during the meeting was how to reach agreement on amending the Criminal Code provisions on animal cruelty. Bill C-246 was the catalyst for this issue, but the discussion avoided addressing particular provisions of specific Bill. An NFACC working group was launched in order to further explore this issue and report back to NFACC at the next meeting which will take place in December 2016. For more information please contact Drew Black.

CFA Rural Policy Committee Meeting

On June 27th, CFA's Rural Policy Committee, chaired by CFA 1st VP Humphrey Banack, held its second meeting via conference call. The committee reviewed a draft workplan, laying out the activities and deliverables required for the committee to complete its mandate of an updated rural policy statement by February 2017. Once approved, the committee reviewed relevant standing policy documents to scope out the range of issues to be addressed within the rural policy statement, with particular focus identified on transportation infrastructure, broadband internet, mental health, and farm safety, amongst others.

The rural policy committee will be meeting again on July 18th at the Downtown Marriott in Calgary to hear from experts on rural development, including representatives from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Concordia University. For more information on the committee's work, please contact Scott Ross.

Grain Sector Roundtable set for next week

CFA President Ron Bonnett and several other board members have been invited to participate in a Grain Sector Roundtable to be convened July 18th in Winnipeg by Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay. At the session, CFA representatives will have an opportunity to talk about key issues for grain producers, particularly railway transportation.

Transport Canada Examining Unmanned Air Vehicle Regulations

CFA attended a technical briefing on proposed changes regulating the use of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) (or drones). At the event, officials explained that the government will seek to monitor drones weighing more than 1 kg (rather that the current threshold of 2 kg) and will work on case-by-case basis to allow exemptions for specific uses, via certification. The speakers said they are aware of industry concerns about creating rules and processes that are too onerous. CFA will circulate details once more information is available. T he proposals will be published for comment in the Canada Gazette in spring 2017. Contact Janice Hall if you have any questions.

Government of Canada Launches
Immigration Policy Review

Last week, the government of Canada launched what it calls a 'national conversation on immigration', in which Canadians are being consulted on the present and future of Canada's immigration policy. The government has provided a detailed questionnaire, and participants have until August 5 to submit their views across a range of topics. Among other questions, participants are being asked how many immigrants Canada should welcome, what 'mix' of immigration categories is appropriate, what settlement services should be offered to newcomers upon arrival, and how best Canada can attract global talent and international students. Other consultation activities include cross-Canada roundtable discussions led by the Immigration Minister and Parliamentary Secretary, stakeholder engagement by departmental officials, and public opinion research.

Members can view the questionnaire by clicking here .

The form is segmented into four fields that cover:

Strengthening our Canadian fabric
Unlocking Canada's diverse needs
Modernizing our immigration system
Leadership in global migration and immigration

For additional context, a discussion guide on Canadian immigration policy is available here.

CFA intends to make a submission as part of this review, highlighting the need to improve pathways to permanent residency for agricultural workers at all skill levels, ensure high demand industries have appropriate access to economic immigrants, and to highlight the opportunities that agriculture presents for economic immigration. For more information on this immigration policy review, please contact Scott Ross .

Proposed Regulatory Changes to Improve Oversight of Antimicrobials for Veterinary Use

Health Canada has proposed to amend the Food and Drug Regulations in order to improve regulatory oversight of antimicrobials for veterinary use through Gazette Part 1; available here. These proposed actions are part of a bilateral initiative with the US to preserve the effectiveness of certain antimicrobials for use as medical treatment of humans. Key aspects of the proposed modified regulations include:

Requiring veterinary active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) imported or sold in Canada to be manufactured in accordance with good manufacturing practices;
Requiring persons who import, fabricate, package, label or test veterinary APIs to do so in accordance with an establishment licence; [there are separate amendments to the licensing regulations (pp. 2406-7)]
Restrict the own use importation of unauthorized veterinary drugs (including the establishment by incorporation by reference of a negative List A and a positive List B);
Require manufacturers, importers and compounders of veterinary antimicrobials to provide sales volume information by species; and,
Introduce an alternative, less burdensome pathway for manufacturers to legally import and sell certain low-risk veterinary drugs, known as veterinary health products, that could reduce the need for antimicrobials.

The comment period will close on September 10, 2016. For more information, please contact Drew Black .